Whatever your view of President Barak Obama, he has breathed new life into the iconic American wish, “When I grow up, I want to be president.” Not a blue blood or an actor or a gazillionaire, Obama has made the desire seem not so crazy.

If you want to inspire your little one, if your kid has a book report due, or if you just want to talk about some of the great men (yes, well, all men) who’ve led this country, there are loads of new books to choose from.

In simple-to-read sentences, My First Biography: Abraham Lincoln provides an overview of this great man. “A lot of people were surprised when Lincoln won. How could a man born in a log cabin be president?” It’s an art, really, to turn history into something understandable to a kindergartener. (Ages 3-5. Publisher: Scholastic Inc.)